Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech was a call for equality, freedom and the end of racism. Martin Luther King spoke of a future where all Americans were treated the same under the constitution and judged on the merit of their character, not the color of their skin (RARE FACTS, 2017). In her speech, Alicia Garza advocates for the rights of domestic workers in the context of the Black Lives Matter movement. She talks about the plight of domestic workers, how it came to be and how they have been left behind by labor reforms and other initiatives meant to ensure equal protections for American workers (Center for Constitutional Rights, 2015). Both leaders push for the recognition of the people represent.
Dr. King displays stronger leadership, charisma, power, and passion than Garza. King uses cadence, speech delivery, and gestures to evoke emotion, command attention, and spur his listeners to action. He uses manuscript speaking to ensure his message is delivered in precise words and a mixture of open and closed cadences to draw in his listeners, make statements and state opinions. King also uses gestures to emphasize and reinforce his words. Combining these elements makes for a powerful speech that captures his audience.
On the other hand, Alicia Garza also displays a level of passion and charisma that captures the attention of her audience. However, the speech is less powerful because of the ineffective use of speech delivery and cadence. She also uses open and closed cadence, but there is a lack of a captivating rhythm, as in Dr. King’s speech. Garza mainly uses an open cadence, making her appear flaky and inconclusive. The same thing occurs in the delivery of her speech. She uses extemporaneous and manuscript speaking but does not do well transitioning between them, resulting in a distractive and inconsistent speaking pattern. Her message gets through in the end but does not have the same effect as Martin Luther King’s.
The locations the speeches are held have an impact on speaking and listening. Delivery environments affect the acoustic structure of a speech, which influences the speaker’s mode of delivery and how the listeners process the speech sounds (Visentin et al., 2018). Dr. King’s main speech was held at the Lincoln Memorial, a large open space that allowed him to put power into his words, the echoes reinforcing his manner of speaking his words in the listeners’ minds. Alicia Garza speaks in an enclosed space, the same as Dr. King’s church address. Such locations make the message more personal and intimate, which draws the listeners into the importance of the subject being addressed. The audiences are more tuned in to the speakers’ verbal and non-verbal communication because of the close proximity.
Dr. King’s speeches are more engaged compared to the one Garza addresses. The former audience is highly involved, nodding, applauding and giving other verbal and nonverbal feedback at the right time and with vigor. This is most likely because King addresses issues facing a significant portion of society. Alicia Garza’s audience also displays similar cues but to a lesser degree. The feedback from her listeners is little and far between. However, this could be because her speech mainly addresses the plight of domestic workers, an experience very few people can relate to. Also, Garza addresses a more formal audience than King’s, which is mostly composed of ordinary people.
References
Center for Constitutional Rights. (2015). RadTalks: Alicia Garza [Video]. YouTube. Web.
RARE FACTS. (2017). I Have a Dream speech by Martin Luther King Jr. HD (subtitled) [Video]. YouTube. Web.
Visentin, C., Prodi, N., Cappelletti, F., Torresin, S., & Gasparella, A. (2018). Using listening effort assessment in the acoustical design of rooms for speech. Building and Environment, 136, 38-53. Web.